Former Castleford miner to feature on Channel 5 TV series Bargain Loving Brits in the Sun

Published:17:23Tuesday 19 January 2016

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A former Castleford miner has swapped his pit-life for a bar-running adventure in sunny Benidorm.

Tad Crocker first moved to the Spanish resort 22 years ago, shortly after several pits closed in the 1980s.

He now owns a handful of hostelries by the sea, serving English beer and pub food to Brits in the sun.

Channel 5 television show Bargain Loving Brits in the Sun followed Tad last year as he set about opening his fifth Yorkshire pub in the holiday resort.

Castleford Tigers fan Tad said: “When I first come here, I couldn’t use a till, I couldn’t pour a pint, I couldn’t clean my own lines. Never done it before. All I knew from leaving school was straight down the pit. I’ve learnt myself and I’ve learnt myself well I think.”

The episode discovers why Tad’s latest expansion plan, taking over the shabby Queen Vic pub, landed him in trouble with the law. And it follows his trials and tribulations as he tries to carry out a major refurbishment in just six weeks.

The documentary series, produced by Blakeway North, charts the lives of Brits who have swapped the grey of the UK for a cheap life in sunny Benidorm.

It documents the life of budget ex-pats in caravan parks across the town, business owners slogging to make a profit in their start-up ventures, and new arrivals determined to make a living and forge a new start in the holiday hotspot.

Tad’s episode will be shown on Channel 5 at 8pm this evening.

The episode also showcases the lives of pensioners Mo and Peggy Levy as they flit between Bournemouth and Benidorm, pie shop owner Karen Robinson, from Wales, as she struggles to boost her takings and animal-loving Lancashire ex-pat Donna Sandland, who spends all her free time at Benidorm’s dog shelter.